Three commissions have been reviewing ways the state can better prepare and respond to future natural disasters like Sandy, which cut a path of devastation in and around New York City when it struck on Oct. 29.

One of the panels, the NYS 2100 Commission, has the mission to find ways to harden infrastructure in the face of future emergencies. Co-chaired by Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin and Felix Rohatyn, the group released a preliminary report in late December. Its recommendations haven’t been previously reported.

The 170-page-long preliminary report was general in its outline of dozens of ideas for preparations, said one commissioner familiar with the document. It included no cost estimates for some proposals likely to be expensive.

But New York stands to receive billions of dollars from the federal government if House lawmakers pass an aid package to help with rebuilding. President Barack Obama supports the measure, which had already passed in the U.S. Senate before House Speaker John Boehner delayed the vote on Tuesday night.

Many of the measures proposed require no new laws, the commissioner said, and could be done simply through the directive of state agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Public Service Commission.

The commission’s final report may differ from the initial one, but some of the preliminary recommendations include:

strengthening surface rapid-transit networks, such as buses

building man-made barrier islands in New York Harbor

placing sturdy, inflatable balloons inside subway tunnels that could seal off the system from incoming water

creating a tiered set of protections for the transit system so that there would always be one fail-safe avenue for first responders and utility crews to use in the event of a storm

decentralizing electricity generation by enforcing more networks of cogeneration, combined heat and power, and solar power

making investments in smart-grid technology, a kind of advanced metering that allows utility companies and customers to receive real-time information about how much energy they are using

forcing utilities and energy providers to reinforce the electrical systems around their gas pumps to prevent power outages from creating gasoline shortages

creating larger, more diverse storage systems for reserve gasoline

preserving wetlands areas from development to help absorb floodwaters during and after storms.